Soil samples (usually the top 7 inches or so of the topsoil) are taken from farm fields and sent to a soil analysis lab to analyze the different soil nutrients contained in the samples. This analysis is used to determine the correct amount of nutrients to apply to farm fields. In the past, the process of collecting the soil samples was a slow tedious job done with a hand probe. Recently some automation has been added to soil sampler equipment to remove some of the hard work, but none have significantly increased the speed of sampling.
There is considerable variability of nutrient content in soil samples taken from different locations in a farm field. The only way to accurately measure this variability is to increase the number of samples taken within a field. But with conventional soil sampling techniques and mechanisms, this can become cost prohibitive due to the time required to collect the samples. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved and automated way of consistently and reliably acquiring soil samples for nutrient analysis.